Five terror suspects walk free on bail after arrests near US air base

Police are considering whether the men may have acted as proxies or knowingly or unknowingly on behalf of a foreign state such as Iran or Russia.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

British counterterrorism police released five British men on strict bail conditions Monday as authorities continued investigating a suspected terror plot near RAF Fairford military base in southwest England, including whether a foreign state may have been involved.

The five London residents, ages 23 to 25, were arrested after a local farmer alerted emergency services to three suspicious white vans traveling toward the airbase.

Laurence Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said investigators were examining possible foreign involvement, “including ⁠that this may be actively committed ​by proxies ​or ⁠individuals either knowingly or unknowingly working on ⁠behalf ​of a ​foreign state.”

Police are considering whether the men may have acted as proxies or knowingly or unknowingly on behalf of a foreign state such as Iran or Russia.

The Iranian Embassy in London denied any connection between Iran and the five suspects.

In a statement posted on X, the embassy rejected reports linking Iran to the incident and described the speculation as an attempt to fuel “Iranophobia propaganda” in the United Kingdom.

Authorities evacuated 85 homes in the nearby village of Whelford as police responded to the suspicious vehicles.

Army bomb disposal experts deployed a robot to examine the vans before officials determined that the area was safe.

Residents were subsequently permitted to return to their homes.

RAF Fairford hosts significant US Air Force assets and has served as a launching point for multiple US operations in the war against Iran in recent months.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham also convened a meeting of the government’s COBRA emergency response committee to assess the security situation.

Although the five suspects have been released on strict bail conditions, the counterterrorism investigation remains ongoing.